San Antonio, TX (September 21, 2017) – The Petco Foundation, a national non-profit, recently hit a major milestone as it surpassed $200 million invested in lifesaving animal welfare work. The Petco Foundation’s primary focus of creating a lifesaving nation is accomplished through empowering community animal welfare organizations that wholeheartedly commit to saving lives.

“Petco Foundation’s investments have enabled many organizations to substantially increase the number of lives saved in their communities as we direct significant grants to organizations that are considerably underresourced for the number of animals in their care,” said Susanne Kogut executive director of the Petco Foundation. “We have seen transformational change in many of the organizations we have funded. Organizations once known for high euthanasia rates are now embracing lifesaving and inspiring their communities to join their cause.”

In its eighteenth-year, the Petco Foundation has invested approximately $11 million to support service, therapy and working pet heroes and committed $13 million to help find a cure and support treatment of pet cancer. Significant investments have also been made in innovative technologies that promote new approaches to saving lives, like Rehome by Adopt-A-Pet.com and Finding Rover, a lost and found pet facial recognition technology.

Creating a lifesaving nation also means that when disasters strike, the Petco Foundation stands ready to respond immediately, deploying necessary supplies and funds to help address critical needs.

The Petco Foundation began reaching out to animal welfare organizations ahead of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to proactively provide needed supplies and monetary support as organizations prepared to evacuate pets and take in displaced animals. As the storms’ massive impacts were soon realized, the Foundation announced that they would dedicate all funds raised in Petco stores and online during specified dates to support organizations in the impacted regions.

The Foundation raised more than $3.9 million for this effort and has already deployed more than $2.1 million in funds and/or supplies to more than 50 organizations throughout Texas and Louisiana and 20 organizations in the southeastern United States impacted by Irma. The Petco Foundation expects to distribute the remaining funds to organizations most in need to support long-term rebuilding efforts. Under-resourced organizations in some of the hardest hit communities to receive significant investments include:

Bayou Animal Services in Dickerson, Texas: With all the surrounding organizations closed down, the team at Bayou animal services worked tirelessly to save animal lives. They require substantial support to build a facility to meet today’s needs and those of the future.

SPCA of Brazoria County: This organization operates in a facility not designed for the more than 4,000 animals they help each year, but even faced with the increased animal intake following Harvey and challenging conditions, their team worked to do everything possible to save animal lives.

Rescued Pets Movement: The top animal transport partner for the city of Houston, this organization is a key component of Houston’s improved animal save rate, transporting thousands of animals annually to lifesaving organizations throughout the country and in Canada.

The Petco Foundation also anticipates providing significant investments to Florida shelters that were destroyed in the wake of Irma.

“Supporting organizations dedicated to saving animal lives during disasters is just one of the ways the Petco Foundation works to create a lifesaving nation for animals,” said Charlie Piscitello, Petco Foundation board president. “In partnership with Petco, our animal welfare partners and the community at large, we are committed to continuing this important work until we achieve our goal of a lifesaving nation.”

About the Petco Foundation

At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $200 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. Through our Think Adoption First program, we partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 5.3 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

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